Snapshots: Puljujarvi, Broberg, Aho, Eriksson
A return to the Edmonton Oilers for restricted free agent Jesse Puljujarvi is getting less and less likely. Despite hope that new general manager Ken Holland and head coach Dave Tippett might be able to give the 21-year-old a fresh start, Puljujarvi hasn’t shown much interest in returning to the team since he requested the team trade him to give him a new start elsewhere.
“Although the Oilers have a new well-respected GM and a new coach the team is still pretty much the same,” said Puljujarvi’s agent Markus Lehto (in a Finnish publication via Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins. “Sometimes a player and a team are not a fit. This seems to be the case here. Nothing radical about it.”
While Leavins leaves the quote open to interpretation, especially the part where he said, “… the team is pretty much the same.” However, it’s clear that Puljujarvi has little interest in returning to Edmonton, leaving him with two options, waiting for Edmonton to find a trade partner or allowing him to leave and play overseas next season. Finding a trade partner has been challenging as the team wants good value back for a player who has just 17 goals over three full seasons.
- A Swedish website, Hockey Svervige (translation required) reports that Edmonton Oilers first-round pick Philip Broberg, who recently signed his entry-level deal, will play for Sweden’s Skelleftea in the SHL this year alongside fellow Oilers’ prospect Filip Berglund, rather than come over to North America immediately. The Edmonton Journal’s David Staples adds that Holland’s main objective was to put him in a position to get the most minutes possible, which was the main reason for wanting him to come to North America and play in the OHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs. However, while there is no guarantee of playing time with Skelleftea, the team could always send him down to the Allsvenskan and have him return to his old team, AIK Stockholm.
- In a tweet sent out by Carolina Hurricanes newly signed forward Sebastian Aho, the 21-year-old makes it clear that he only hoped to settle his restricted free agency as quickly as possible and had no interest in leaving Carolina. “I am grateful for the offer from the Montreal Canadiens, but it was always my hope to return to the Hurricanes,” Aho said. “As a restricted free agent, I had limited options for moving along the process to get a deal done. It was always important to me to be on the ice for the first day of training camp. This entire situation has been difficult for me and my family, and I am happy it is at an end.”
- Patrick Johnston of The Province writes that it is becoming less and less likely that the Vancouver Canucks will be unloading the contract of veteran Loui Eriksson this offseason. The scribe writes that general manager Jim Benning has not been able to reach Eriksson to talk to him about the situation, it is clear he doesn’t intend to request a trade and isn’t planning on retiring. There are fewer and fewer options to find a team with the salary cap needed to take on his three years and $6MM AAV and with a full no-trade clause, he doesn’t have to accept a deal anywhere either. So unless, Benning can make an impressive maneuver, it looks like the Canucks are stuck with him.
Snapshots: Marner, Hanzal, Soderstrom
With one team having already gone the offer sheet route, there has been plenty of speculation surrounding whether or not another one will be tendered to one of the remaining prominent restricted free agents this summer. It appears that teams are at least sniffing around on Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner. In an appearance on 630 CHED (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted that a team wanted to sign him to an offer sheet but they were looking for a max-term contract (seven years), something Marner’s camp is unwilling to do at this time. Instead, he’s believed to be seeking a shorter-term pact to get him to unrestricted free agency quicker and allow him to sign a longer-term deal when the salary cap is even higher.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Back issues caused Stars center Martin Hanzal to miss all but seven games last season. Those may be the last games he winds up playing in Dallas as Mike Heika notes on the Stars’ team website that Hanzal, who is now in the final year of his contract, is unlikely to play at all in 2019-20 and that he’ll spend the entire year on injured reserve. That means that the 32-year-old could be placed on LTIR to free up some extra wiggle room on the cap for next season. However, there will be a risk to doing so with Miro Heiskanen, Corey Perry, and Andrej Sekera having achievable bonuses in their contracts. Using LTIR would save cap space in the short term but create an overage for 2020-21 if anyone meets those incentives.
- The Coyotes are hoping to sign first-round pick Victor Soderstrom in the coming days, reports Expressen’s Johan Svensson. While the defenseman is under contract with Brynas of the SHL for another season, Arizona can sign him and gain control over where to assign him to because he was picked in the first round. While they could still loan him back to the SHL, signing him would give them the ability to also loan him to their AHL affiliate in Tucson to help him start adapting to the smaller North American ice surface right away.
Snapshots: Boeser, Cracknell, Jets
The Vancouver Canucks and Brock Boeser are closer on a new contract according to Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet, though he notes there is still “work to be done and neither side [is] budging.” Boeser is part of the outstanding group of young restricted free agents looking for big deals this offseason, though it is important to note that he is not eligible for an offer sheet. Like Charlie McAvoy in Boston, Boeser is treated like an RFA but doesn’t have all of the same rights because of the way he burned through his entry-level contract, playing through the first year in just nine games after his 2016-17 college season ended.
That, combined with the fact that Boeser is not arbitration eligible, means this negotiation could potentially go on long into the summer if both sides aren’t willing to find some middle ground. The 22-year old forward is one of the most interesting cases this summer thanks to the injury trouble he has suffered through the early part of his young career. Though he has suited up just 140 times, Boeser has already scored 59 goals and 116 points.
- Adam Cracknell will be taking his talents to China, as Kunlun Red Star of the KHL announced a one-year contract with the NHL veteran. The 33-year old forward has played 210 NHL games across a long professional career, an impressive accomplishment for a ninth-round pick. He suited up last season for the Toronto Marlies, San Diego Gulls and Anaheim Ducks, scoring a total of 38 points in 44 games in the minors and zero in his two NHL appearances. He was however a force in the playoffs with the Gulls, and could very well find success overseas playing in the KHL. He’ll join several other familiar names like Jake Chelios, Gilbert Brule, Spencer Foo and Wojtek Wolski on Kunlun.
- The Winnipeg Jets have added a little bit of depth up front this free agent period, adding veteran center Mark Letestu to a one-year deal. They likely aren’t done there, as Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun is expecting the team to add another fourth-line forward at some point. That forward will likely have penalty killing experience and cost the team less than $1MM in salary according to Wiebe, which certainly doesn’t limit the field. There are plenty of free agent forwards still out there looking for work, including Winkler, Manitoba native Eric Fehr, coming off a solid season with the Minnesota Wild.
Snapshots: Panarin, McGinn, Greening
It was hard to miss Artemi Panarin‘s free agency decision on Monday, as an all-world player landed in the largest market in North America. However, what wasn’t clear right away was how Panarin’s new seven-year, $81.5MM contract with the New York Rangers was structured. CapFriendly has cleared that up, revealing the terms of the monster deal. To no surprise, the details continue to favor the star forward. While Panarin’s contract carries an $11.643MM cap hit, he will in fact make a salary of just $1MM each year. What this means is that Panarin’s deal includes nearly $75MM in signing bonuses, making the contract virtually buyout-proof. The bonuses role out in descending order, beginning with a $13MM bonus this season down to a $7MM bonus in 2025-26. Also unsurprisingly, Panarin’s deal includes a full No-Movement Clause. The investment in the 27-year-old Panarin, who has topped 70 points in each of his four NHL seasons, is pretty safe, which is lucky for the Rangers since is contract is all but immovable.
- The deadline to file for salary arbitration is coming up, and the first name to file has been revealed. Speaking with media, including the Raleigh News & Observer’s Chip Alexander, Carolina Hurricanes GM Don Waddell noted that forward Brock McGinn has filed for arbitration. McGinn, 25, has emerged as a regular contributor for the ‘Canes over the past two years, missing only two games and posting back-to-back seasons of 25+ points. He additionally contributed six points in 15 playoff games during the run to the Eastern Conference Final this year. McGinn is also one of Carolina’s most physical forwards and plays a role on the penalty kill. Yet, his ice time is still somewhat limited, particularly playing sheltered minutes to do some turnover tendencies. The Hurricanes will try to support their filing number by pointing out McGinn’s relatively minor role and lack of overall career results, while the player side will emphasize the recent climb in scoring and ice time and his platform year being arguably his best season to date and coinciding in a return to the postseason for Carolina. Waddell, who recently joked that the Sebastian Aho offer sheet had freed up his summer due to a lack of contract negotiations, is not out of the woods yet, with McGinn filing, Trevor Carrick, Anton Forsberg, and Saku Maenalanen eligible to file, and several other restricted free agents in need of extensions.
- Veteran forward Colin Greening has called it a career reports Toronto Marlies reporter Jacob Stoller. Although Greening has played solely for the Marlies over the past three seasons, he logged close to 300 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, including a 37-point season in 2011-12. Greening’s NHL production certainly declined as his career went on, but as he transitioned to a minor league leadership role, Greening ended up being both a reliable source of scoring and a key locker room presence. Greening will likely be remembered most for captaining the Marlies to the 2018 Calder Cup, as well as his dominant college career at Cornell University.
Snapshots: Oilers, Penguins, Williams
The Edmonton Oilers added a little bit of depth after free agency opened, signing forwards Markus Granlund and Tomas Jurco while also bringing back Alex Chiasson on a two-year deal. That doesn’t mean they’re finished though, as GM Ken Holland told David Staples of the Edmonton Journal. The Oilers would still like to find some more scoring for the wing and a legitimate third-line center, but whether that will come through free agency or trade isn’t clear.
It’s not like Edmonton has a ton of room to go after a free agent, even following the recent buyout of defenseman Andrej Sekera. The Oilers currently project to have over $77.5MM in cap hits committed to next season—including more than $4.1MM in various buyouts—though that is already for a 22-man roster. There is still plenty of talent left on the market, but as Holland told Staples he’s “been a manager for 22 years. [He knows] when it’s time to pay and when it’s time not to pay.”
- The Pittsburgh Penguins might be another team looking to clear some cap room with a trade, as Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) examines in his latest piece. Yohe believes at least one more trade is coming before the end of the summer given the current salary situation the Penguins are facing, sitting with just under $1.6MM in cap space with restricted free agents Teddy Blueger, Zach Aston-Reese and Marcus Pettersson still to be signed. In his breakdown of the roster and the likelihood of each player being traded, he lists three “favorites” which includes relative newcomer Nick Bjugstad. The 26-year old has two years at a $4.1MM cap hit remaining on his current deal but scored just 36 points last year in a down season.
- Justin Williams is still deciding whether to play or not next season, but the Carolina Hurricanes are optimistic that he’ll come back for at least one more year. Carolina GM Don Waddell told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that if Williams does come back, he’s confident the veteran winger will sign with the Hurricanes. Williams shared the same sentiment, explaining that he’d rather not move his family again. Even though he will turn 38 at the beginning of the season, Williams is still a capable offensive piece that put up 23 goals and 53 points last season.
Snapshots: Duchene, Donskoi, Vrana, Engelland, McElhinney, Berglund
While speculation has center Matt Duchene likely signing a long-term deal with the Nashville Predators, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes that the Montreal Canadiens aren’t out of the running yet. While Nashville may still be the favorite to land the star center, Friedman writes that one of his sources says that it’s not locked in and Montreal still is in the race.
Duchene, who grew up a fan of the Canadiens, would be a big addition for the Canadiens if they can land him. Duchene would likely become their top center in hopes of vaulting Montreal back into a playoff spot.
- TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that while things are still in the works, he believes that the Colorado Avalanche and an unidentified team are the finalists to sign unrestricted free agent forward Joonas Donskoi. The 27-year-old scored 14 goals and 37 points last season and could provide the team with a solid middle-six option for the Avalanche. While LeBrun notes that he doesn’t know who the other team is, he believes that Buffalo and Edmonton are not in the running anymore.
- The Washington Capitals managed to trade off one of their key restricted free agents in Andre Burakovsky Friday in hopes of saving some cap room, but even being free of that contract, the money is tight in Washington. In fact, Washington general manager Brian MacLellan said that because the NHL salary cap was lower than expected ($81.5MM), the team will likely be forced to sign restricted free agent Jakub Vrana to a short-term deal, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulliti. Washington had initially planned to lock up Vrana to a long-term deal when the team had expected the cap to be set at $83MM, but with the number being lower than expected, the MacLellan doesn’t believe the team has the money to sign him long-term.
- Vegas Golden Knights President of Hockey Operations George McPhee confirmed that the team is close to signing veteran unrestricted free agent defenseman Deryk Engelland, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. The 37-year-old had a down season last year, but the veteran who actually played in Vegas in the ECHL before the Golden Knights came about, has been a community leader there. He is likely expected to take a bottom-six role next season and could find himself more in a 6th/7th role on defense.
- TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Montreal Canadiens are among three teams that are interested in signing veteran goaltender Curtis McElhinney. The 36-year-old had a great season in Carolina after the Hurricanes claimed him off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the beginning of the year. He finished the season with a 2.58 GAA and a .912 save percentage in 33 appearances. LeBrun also adds that it doesn’t look like Toronto is one of the other two teams.
- Former NHL player Patrik Berglund, who walked out on the Buffalo Sabres in the middle of last season, is exploring a return the the NHL and has several teams interested, according to Fox Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland. Berglund, who was packaged to Buffalo in the Ryan O’Reilly trade last offseason, didn’t like it in Buffalo and finally requested that his contract to be terminated after playing just 23 games in a reduced role. The 31-year-old scored 17 goals in the 2017-18 season, but scored just twice before walking away this year.
Snapshots: Qualifying Offers, Haas, Doan
The quality of players hitting the open market today after not receiving qualifying offers is much higher than in recent years past, as teams facing frightening salary cap crunches do not want to issue expensive offers or risk possible arbitration decisions. However, many of these top names officially becoming unrestricted free agents may not be done with their current team’s just yet. The poster boy of this idea is Ryan Hartman, acquired by the Dallas Stars yesterday only to not receive a qualifying offer today. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the team was unable to negotiate with Hartman in the short time after he was acquired and did not want to risk the potential award that he could land in arbitration. Dallas obviously made the deal knowing this was a possibility and LeBrun notes that they plan to use the waning days of early negotiating rights to their advantage in hopes of signing him. The same story rings true for the Vancouver Canucks and defenseman Ben Hutton. The team did not want to pay Hutton his $2.8MM qualifying offer, nevertheless what he might make in arbitration, especially as they pursue another top defenseman in Tyler Myers, so the team tried to find another solution. Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwhal reports that they tried first to trade Hutton, but to no avail. The only other possibility was to let him reach UFA status, negating his arbitration rights, and try negotiating a deal with a lower salary. It seems like a stretch for Vancouver, but so long as they have rights to Hutton, they’ll try their hardest to work out a deal. One last name that may not be headed elsewhere after all is young forward Curtis Lazar. The Calgary Flames did not feel Lazar was worthy of a near-$1MM qualifying offer or potential arbitration battle, but they also have not closed the door on re-signing him, writes beat reported Kristen Anderson. The Flames are continuing negotiations with Lazar’s camp in hopes that he may return at a lower number. However, after Lazar was given just one NHL appearance this season, one would think that he will look for a better opportunity elsewhere next season.
- Swiss hockey site He Shoots He Scores reports that a deal is imminent between NLA star Gaetan Haas and the Edmonton Oilers. The site relays the news directly from Haas’ agent, who claims an offer has been submitted and will be signed. The 27-year-old forward is coming off back-to-back dominant seasons, recording 30 goals and 79 points in 97 games overall for SC Bern. A two-way center who plays a complete game, this will be Haas’ first venture out of Switzerland, other than international competition, and the Oilers will hope his game can translate. This would be Edmonton’s second import of the off-season already, along with Swedish forward Joakim Nygard, as the team continues to seek affordable scoring help.
- Arizona State University continues to benefit from being the lone NCAA on the west coast by sweeping up the sons of former nearby NHLers. The Sun Devils received another notable commitment recently from none other than the son of Arizona’s most beloved hockey player, Shane Doan. Josh Doan, 17, announced that he will stay close to home by playing for the program, beginning in 2021-22. Doan was drafted by the USHL’s Chicago Steel last year and will likely spend a season or two with the team before arriving at Arizona State. Doan now joins Carson Briere and Jackson Niedermayer as sons of famous hockey fathers all committed to ASU. Add in recent New Jersey Devils draft pick, goaltender Cole Brady, and the future is looking bright for the upstart Sun Devils program.
Snapshots: Puljujarvi, Myers, Smith
Jesse Puljujarvi might have no plans of playing for the Edmonton Oilers this season, but that doesn’t mean the team is simply going to give up his rights. Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports that the Oilers will issue Puljujarvi a qualifying offer before tomorrow’s deadline in order to retain his rights even if the young forward plays in Europe. This is obviously the expected move as even though he hasn’t worked out in Edmonton the Oilers invested quite a bit of draft capital in Puljujarvi when the selected him fourth overall in 2016.
A qualifying offer for Puljujarvi would only amount to $874,125 in NHL salary, but would still be a two-way deal because he has played so few games for the Oilers the last three years. It seems very unlikely that he would accept it at this point, even if he does still need to prove his worth at the NHL level. Puljujarvi has recorded 37 points in his 139 NHL games, including just nine last season.
- Tyler Myers is expected to be one of the top defensemen available this offseason now that Erik Karlsson has re-signed, and the Winnipeg Jets free agent may be in line for a huge contract. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports was on Sportsnet radio today and suggested that Myers may get a seven-year deal somewhere between $6-8MM per season. The 29-year old is coming off a seven-year, $38.5MM deal ($5.5MM AAV) originally signed with the Buffalo Sabres, and has the added benefit of being arguably the top right-handed defenseman left in free agency. Myers recorded 31 points in 80 games last season for the Jets, while averaging more than 20 minutes a night.
- Goaltender Mike Smith has spoken to several teams now that the free agent interview period has opened according to Frank Seravalli of TSN, who notes that the “door isn’t completely closed” on a potential return to the Calgary Flames. Seravalli suggests that the Carolina Hurricanes could be a team to watch however, a team whose own goaltenders—Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney—are also pending free agents.
Snapshots: Claesson, Talbot, Abbandonato
The deadline to extend qualifying offers to impending restricted free agents arrives on Tuesday, and another intriguing name can be added to the list of those likely not receiving an offer and hitting the open market. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks reports that Rangers defenseman Fredrik Claesson will not receive a qualifying offer from the team. Brooks cites roster space as the reason that New York has opted not to retain the 26-year-old, who played in 37 games in his first – and now only – season with the Rangers. The team only would have merely had to offer Claesson a two-way contract worth $735K to hold on to his RFA rights, but apparently are content to let him leave. With four veteran blue liners already signed, recent acquisition Jacob Trouba as well as Anthony DeAngelo as restricted free agents, and top prospects Adam Fox and Libor Hajek pushing for ice time, the Rangers do have plenty of depth without Claesson. Nevertheless, the former Ottawa Senators starter should draw plenty of attention as a new addition to the UFA market. Claesson joins a growing list of talented players not expected to receive qualifying offers, including Vancouver’s Derrick Pouliot, Los Angeles’ Nikita Scherbak, and Edmonton’s Ty Rattie and Tobias Rieder.
- At 35 years old, veteran Max Talbot is calling it a career. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun revealed that Talbot has decided to retire and end his playing days, but will stay involved with the game as a development adviser for CAA, a top hockey agency. Talbot may have spent his twilight years overseas, playing the past three seasons in the KHL, but few will forget his accomplishments in the NHL. Talbot spent eleven season in the league, making a name for himself as a top two-way player. Talbot received votes for the Selke Award as the league’s best defensive forward in four different seasons and was one of the most dangerous shorthanded specialists in the league during the prime of his career. Talbot spent the first six seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, helping the team to a 2009 Stanley Cup title, and made stops in Philadelphia, Colorado, and Boston before heading for Russia in 2016.
- As one pro career ends, another begins. QMJHL leading scorer Peter Abbandonato has signed with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, per TVA’s Mikhail Lalancette. It’s a two-year minor league deal for Abbandonato, who needs time to develop despite his impressive junior numbers. Abbandonato was a late-blooming forward, an undrafted and slightly undersized center who broke out this season in his final year of junior eligibility. The 21-year-old had a phenomenal season, though; he recorded 111 points in 68 games, including 82 assists, which also led the league and by a wide margin. Abbandonato then added 27 points in just 15 playoff games to help the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies to a QMJHL title. Like fellow undrafted top junior scorer Justin Brazeau of the OHL, Abbandonato had no other option but to sign a minor league deal and show that his skill set is pro-ready. If he can do that, Abbandonato should earn an entry-level contract, perhaps even before his AHL contract expires.
Snapshots: Barrie, Spurgeon, Senators
The Colorado Avalanche are in the enviable position of having two first-round picks this year despite making the playoffs, and one of those selections is fourth overall. The team very well could be adding top defensive prospect Bowen Byram with that spot, giving them quite the young core on the blue line along with Samuel Girard and Cale Makar. That inevitably would lead to some speculating that the Avalanche will be looking to trade another defenseman, and A.J. Haefele of BSN Denver today tweeted that he believes Tyson Barrie is “in play.”
Haefele doesn’t mention the Byram connection, and perhaps that has nothing to do with it given Barrie plays the right side. With Erik Johnson already entrenched as a leader on the team and signed long-term, Barrie might be the one to go in order to give Makar more minutes on that side and the powerplay. The 27-year old Barrie had another excellent offensive season, recording 14 goals and 59 points in 78 games.
- The Minnesota Wild have made sweeping changes to the core of their team since GM Paul Fenton took over, but one name they’re looking to keep is Jared Spurgeon. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Fenton and agent Eustace King met yesterday to begin talks on an extension, given the defenseman has just a single year remaining on his contract. Spurgeon is one of the game’s premiere two-way defensemen, recording solid offensive numbers while being a reliable shutdown option in his own end. Coming off a career-high 43 points any extension will be an expensive one, and likely include a substantial raise over the $5.19MM cap hit he currently carries.
- Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that the Ottawa Senators have issued qualifying offers to Cody Ceci, Christian Wolanin, Nick Paul, Colin White and Jack Rodewald, though all were expected. Ceci is still just 25 years old despite having played six seasons in the league, and is one of the more interesting players to watch on the Senators roster. He is a restricted free agent but could potentially settle for a one-year contract through arbitration and walk right into unrestricted free agency next season. His qualifying offer is $4.3MM, already a hefty contract for the Senators to swallow.